Virginia Politics Blog Archive: Ben Loyola

A new round of fundraising reports shed light Thursday on the state of Virginia's three most competitive Republican congressional primaries, as candidates in the June 8 contests were required to lay out the state of their finances. The pre-primary reports -- covering April 1-May 19 -- filed with the Federal Election Commission showed: • In the 11th district contest in Fairfax and Prince William counties, Oakton businessman Keith Fimian maintained his financial edge over Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity in their battle to take on Rep. Gerald Connolly (D) in November. Herrity outraised Fimian for the seven-week period, taking in a total of $162,000 to Fimian's $107,000. But Fimian had $406,000 left in the bank as of May 19, compared to $96,000 for Herrity. Connolly, who is already the Democratic nominee for reelection, awaits the GOP winner with a whopping $1.1 million war chest....

The Hampton Roads Tea Party is wading into the Republican primary contest in Virginia's 2nd congressional district, endorsing businessman Ben Loyola as the best GOP candidate to take on Rep. Glenn Nye (D) in November. With the June 8 primary less than two weeks away, the activist group's board announced its decision Wednesday after vetting all five Republicans in the field. "After thoroughly and thoughtfully evaluating the GOP candidates vying for the Second District nod, the Board has decided to make a clear declaration of its support for Mr. Loyola," said Karen Miner Hurd, the founder and chairwoman of the party. Hurd portrayed the decision as not just an endorsement of Loyola but also a public repudiation of auto dealer Scott Rigell, the apparent frontrunner and favorite of the state and national Republican establishment. Rigell's own polling shows him with a huge lead in the race -- both on the...